October 2008

Breathing is a fundamental of the Pilates Method.  Unfortunately, the breathing also seems to be one of the things that many people find the hardest to do well when they workout.  Does any of this sound familiar to you?

• When you concentrate on the movements you stop breathing
• If you think about your breathing you stop moving
• You have trouble coordinating your breathing with the exercises
• You can’t pull your powerhouse in and breathe

When I start working with people for the first time I tend not to focus too much on their breathing.  This is how I was taught, and through experience, I have seen this approach work very well.  One reason for this is that you will eventually remember to breathe.  I haven’t seen anyone pass out because they were thinking about their powerhouse so much they forgot to breath.  I have, however, had people think so much about their breathing that they completely forget about their powerhouse!  Another reason is that when you are worried about your breathing you stop thinking about everything else.  That is why focusing on the breathe is a tool used in meditation.  So if the breathing is one of many things that you are struggling with, drop it in the beginning.  Focus on your powerhouse, then pick up your breathing.   
 
When you first start learning to move your body with control and precision, thinking too much about your breathing can get in the way.  But once you have started to gain control, using your breathing will lift your workouts to a high level of beautifully balanced, functional control, that will feel free and strong.  
 
When you first start working with the Pilates Method, I highly recommend that you don’t worry too much about your breathing.  When you start to get comfortable with the movements you can then start paying attention to what feels natural.  You will start to feel a rhythm to the way your body is moving and when it feels right to inhale and exhale throughout the exercises. 
 
The next step you will find useful is to pay attention to the dead spots.  Be aware of all the places in your movements where you stop breathing and are holding your breath.  Try to get rid of them.
 
Once you can comfortably be aware of your breathing and keep moving, there are a couple of general principles that will help.

1. Breath in and out through your nose. 

A great anecdote I once heard from Romana Kryzanowska was that Joseph Pilates used to say the nose was for breathing and the mouth was for eating and kissing!  Your nose is for breathing, and being able to maintain exercise without opening your mouth is an indicator of your fitness level.  The better your stamina, the more workload your body can sustain without needing to gasp for air.

2. Inhale at the point of exertion
 
This can be a tricky one to understand in terms of practical application.  Often it may feel like the wrong thing to do.  But you will find that as you move through the Pilates Method and your strength, flexibility and control improve, what felt like the point of exertion to begin with will change.  This is something that I suggest you play with.  Just remember that your breathing should flow with the exercises.
 
3. Exhale when your chest contracts, inhale when your chest expands.
 
The movement of the rib cage will effect how much air you can get into, and out of your lungs.  The movements of Pilates are designed to assist the functionality of the body, so when you roll forward, exhale, when you lift up tall, inhale.  Allow the flow of air in and out of your lungs to correspond with the natural movement of your body.
 
 
In your everyday activities, just remember that when you are slouching you can’t breath well.  Sitting tall with an open chest allows a good flow of oxygen through your body, and will help with your levels of vitality.
 
So take a deep breath, smile, and breathe again!

This exercise is brilliant.  It works your abdominal muscles, your breathing, your co-ordination, your back and leg strength and your upper back flexibility.  It engages your whole body, and when done correctly is good for your whole body.  If you aren’t familiar with The Hundred click here for some pictures and a description on how to perform the exercise.

The ideal position for The Hundred is to start with your body completely flat on the floor, then raise your legs 2 inches off the ground and lift your head so you are looking at your toes, keeping your back flat on the ground
 
There are a couple of ways to approach The Hundred.  In his book, Joseph Pilates says to begin, in the ideal position, with 20 movements and gradually increase this until you can do 100 movements.  I was taught to start with the full 100 movements but to modify the position with those who lacked the strength for that ideal position, or carried injuries.  I think there is benefit in both approaches, and unless you have an injury it is good to try both.  If you are doing a modified version of the exercise it can be very easy to get comfortable with it and not challenge yourself to improve when you should.
 
Today, the usual approach to The Hundred is to your head up and you legs straight in the air, held at or above a 45 degree angle.  If you have any kind of injury, if you lack strength, or if you are very stiff, you may have various modifications.  The most common ones are bending the legs bent and/or keeping the head down. 
 
There are many tips that will help you improve your position and I recommend you take a look at the section on The Hundred in my ebook on the Basic Pilates Mat for those.  But there is one thing that will help you improve the results you get out of The Hundred every time, regardless of whether you need to modify the exercise or not. 
 
Every single time you perform this exercise, start in the position that is as close to the ideal as you can get.  Every single time you do The Hundred find the position that challenges you the most.  If you usually have bent legs try holding them straight for as long as you can.  If your legs are straight, feel the place where your back arches off the floor and hold your legs just above that point.  If you can’t hold your head up for the whole exercise, start with your head off the ground and hold it there as long as you can.  Every time you put yourself in The Hundred position, look for the most challenging position.  If you stay there for as long as you can and only modify it if you need to you will find your strength improves rapidly.

A friend of mine went to a Pilates class at a gym the other day and had the interesting experience of being told, a fair way into the class, that she could ‘attempt the Hundred if she wanted to’.  I wanted to write about this because her experience is not uncommon.  There seem to be a lot of Pilates Instructors out there, and consequently a lot of their clients, who are under the impression that a person has to build up to being able to do the Hundred.  If you are being taught this way, or doing workouts yourself this way, you are being seriously cheated out of the great experience that Pilates can offer. 
 
In the Pilates Method the Hundred is an exercise that is done right out of the gate, you don’t mess around, you get straight into it.  In the Mat work it is the first exercise, in the Reformer it is second, right after the footwork series.  The Hundred is such a brilliant exercise for helping you get centered and bringing your focus into your body. 
 
You have to concentrate on your breathing, which is fundamental to any good workout, wake up your abdominal muscles, which is fundamental to any good Pilates workout, and co-ordinate your breathing with your body movements, which is fundamental to good health.
 
A lot of people aren’t strong enough to hold the full position for long, or even at all in the beginning, but that is no reason to not start with it!  There are several very simple modifications that you can do which means the Hundred can be done safely but still makes you work.  You can even do this exercise with your head and feet on the ground!  It has been my experience that most of us underestimate what our bodies are capable of.  This doesn’t mean that we should all go out and try doing back flips (I definitely don’t recommend that), but your body has to be challenged if it is going to improve.  It’s as simple as that.  The Hundred is one of the initial exercises that sets the rhythm for the rest of your workout, so move, breath and enjoy it!
 
Pilates is about strength and freedom of movement, developing grace, control and true health and fitness.  Don’t let yourself miss out on that!  So if you are already enjoying the benefits of starting your workouts with the Hundred good for you, and if you aren’t, ask yourself or your teacher why!